Means for preventing the freezing of water in the circulating systems of automobile-engines.



v I H..S. CAMPBELL. I MEAIIS PORSPREVENTING THE FREEZING 0F WATER-IN THE GJERG-ULATING SYSTB MS QF PatentedJunQ 4, 1912.

wilbn woeo affonucw UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

HOWARD s. CAMPBELL, or BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, nssrenon or oNE-rnrnn r0 JACOB ZILL AND ONE-THIRD TO PERCY TEIXEIRA DE MATTOS,-BOTH OF BALTIMORE,

MARYLAND.

MEANS FOR PREVENTING THE FREEZING OF WATER IN THE CIRCULATING SYSTEMS .OF AUTOMOBILE-ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 4, 1912.

Application filed February 21, 1911. Serial No. 610,019.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOWARD S. CAMPBELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have ing in the open or is left over night in a cold garage without drawing the waterfrom the circulating system. Inmost instances the freezing will begin in the tubes or hollow bars of the radiator because only a slight body of water is contained therein and the cold is readily conducted thrcugh the thin exposed tubes or bars to the water, with the result that the tubes or bars become ruptured at their joints requiring tedious and expensive repairs to be made,

The present invention therefore has for one of its objects to provide a device which will automatically drain the vradiator of water in case the temperature falls sufficiently to cause the water to freeze.

The accompanying drawing illustrates one.

form of mechanism for carrying out'the invention wherein, v

Figure 1, shows a diagrammatic illustration of an automobile radiator to which the improvement is attached and also shows a thermostat or similar temperature register with an electric circuit wiring. Fig. 2, is an enlarged side elevation of {the device, and Fig. 3, an edge or'front elevation of the same. I

In the drawing, 1,designates an automobile radiator which may be of any suitable construction and which is interposed in the water circulating system of an automobile engine,-lthelatter however not being shown for the reason that it is deemed unnecessary. The radiator is provided with suitable tube connections, 2, and, 3, for the circulation of water between it and the engine.

The connection, 2, at the lower end of the radiator-is provided with a branch pipe, 4, leading to a valve casing, 5, which latter has a discharge outlet or nozzle, 6. Normally the valve, 7, (see broken lines in Fig. 3) is held in the closed position by means of pressure exerted from above in any "suitable way so that the waterin 'the tube ozpipe, 2, may not escape by way of the valve casing and nozzle.

By reference to Figs. 2 and 3 it will be noted that the valve mechanism is mounted on a base or pla 8, merely for convene ience and in order that the samemay be readily secured in place, preferably at the rear sideof the radiator casing as shown in Fig. 1.

In the present instance the valve, 7, has

astem, 9, which-extends through a cylinder, 10, and a spring, 11, is coiled about the stem 'andbetween the latter and the cylinder so as to exert a downward pressure on a pm, 5 12, that extends crosswlse throughthe against the upper end of the cylinder, all

as shown by broken lines in Fig. 3 .of the drawing. The valve stem, 9, carrles a plate,

plained. The opposite ends of the said 31",;

.ste1n, th'e upper end of the spring abutting D i mature plate, 13, is provided with perforaf tions through which. vertical, guide pins, .14,

extend so as to prevent the stem, 9, from turning in the cylinder and valve casing.

Suitable electro-magnets, 15, are carried on the plate, 8, over the armature plate, 13,

and the'position of these magnets with respect to'the plate is such that when they are energized by the formation-of an elec tric circuit therethrough they will attract the armature late. l3.'and draw the stem,-&

9-,"and valve, 1., up so. as to uncover-e port wall-of the cylinder, 10. The circuit is then that will permit the water to flow from the circulating system out through the'noz-zle, 6--

' At 6118 side the cylinder, 10, carries a spring finger, 16, thelatt'er being secured at its lower end to the cylinderand having its upper end projecting above the cylinder and pressing against theou'ter edge of the' farmat-ure plate, .13, while thel'atter'is down and while the valve, 7 ,'-is seated. "An arm,:

17, is also carried by the cylinder-or by any {other preferred portion of the structure but insulated'from the latterso that an adjust- "able contact screw, 18, may be passed through the upper end-10f the arm and-normally maintained in contact withpthe up- I 'per end of the spring finger, '16, as shown in Fig, 3. A binding nut, 19;- isprovided on the .screw,,18, at'the outer side of the arm, 17 In the present instancethe arm, 17 is held in place at its lower end, a pin, 20, l being secured in the wall of the cylinder and having a bushing, 21, of insulating material 'aroundthe same 'toinsulate' thearm from the pin and also from the cylinder. Insulating .washers, 22, are also provided at opposite sides of-the said. arm, 17, and a binding nut, 23, is screwed onto the outer end of. thestem for a purpose presently to be explained.

' In the normal running'condition the de- V fected by the temperature adjacent that wall.

vices above described are as shown in the drawing,the magnets, being deenergized and the armature plate and valve stem remaining in the lowered position.

To effect an operation I make use of a thermostat or temperature indicator, 24, which" is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 1 but which in practice willbe attached adjacent to the radiator wall so as to be af- This indicator may be of any suitable-construction but is provided with suitable binding posts, 25, and, 26, respectively, a movable indicator arm, 27, and a contact point, 28,-which latter may be rigid or movable as-desired. Suitable electricalcon nectionsarfiprovided between the binding post 25, and the arm, 27., while another elec-. tribal connection is prpvided between the pbst, 26, and the contact, 28.

A battery, 29, provides a suitable current -,for energizing the electro-ma-gnets, 15, and

one 'sideof said battery, is connected by a we, 30, with the binding post, 26, of the i I emperature indicator; While the other binding P is e nneetetl anewe W a binding post, 32, 0 g-,l o,ase, ,late,;8, and from the ,latter byg ire, 33,, g or, ,thrpugh -the plate; 34, to theelectromagnets, 15. 'A' 'Wire, 35, extends from the electro-magnets' to another binding pcst, 36, on the plate, 34, and

amther wire, 37, extends from this latter tfiflto the bindin nut 23 that is car- 7 I) i I b 7 7 LJed on the stem, 20, and whichenters the a J" 'tery and'cutting oil the current.

water therein may run. off.

; continued through the spring linger, 16, to

contact screw, .18, and then by'wire, 38, to

the other side of thebattery, 29;

": The operation oft-he device is as fol lows :-TVhen the temperature at the indi cator, 24, which as hereinbefore explained is preferablyzlocated at the inner side'of' the radiator, has fallen sufiicientlyto cause the indicator arm, 27, .togmove againstthe contact .point, 28, the circuit-"will immediately be established from the battery, 29, through the elect-ro magnets, 15,the circuit being formedby wire, 30;-post-, 26; contact, 28',

arm, 27; 'post, 25; wire, 31, to post, 32, then by wire, '33, or the plate, 34, to'magnets', 15,

and thereby energize the latter, raise armature plate, 13, valve-stem, 9, and valve,"7, thereby opening the outlet from the system and permit the water to drain 01f through the nozzle, '6. From'the electro-magnets, 15, the circuit is completed through wire, 35., to post, 36, and bywire 37, to stem,'20, then bythe cylinder wall, 10, to spring finger, 16, and contact screw, 18, and finally from said contact screw by wire,-' 38, tofothe r side of battery, 29. It will-be noted by reference: a to the broken lines in Fig. 3, that when the armature plate,'13, has been attracted by the magnets and thereby elevated, that the upper end of the spring finger, 16, will snap beneath said armature plate. and form a support at the, bottom side thereof thus preventing the plate 'from'dropping and thereby locking the stem and valve in'the raised position to keep the valve portopen to the nozzle, 6. It will also be noted that when the spring finger, 16, Snaps beneath the armature plate, 13, the contactbetween its upper end and the inner end of the contact screw, 18, will become broken thus breaking the circuit between the two poles of the bat- By this means the battery may be cut out after it has performed its work and its life thereby prolonged. It will thus be seen that when the temperature adjacent the circulating system becomes sufiiciently low to beapt to freeze the water that the indicator will cause a circuit to be established to'energize the magnets and thereby vent'the system so the Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Pat- 1 ent-is,. w I 1. ,The combination with'a radiator of an automobile, of a drain pipefrom the radiator; a vent device in said drain pipe; elecltrical means for actuating-the vent device and mechanical means I for holding said vent device in the actuated posit-ion.

2. The-combination with the radiator of an automobile, ofa drain pipe-from the lower-end of the radiator; a'valve in, said pipe and having a stem; an armature car- 

